You
I wasn't born with any innate talent.
I've never been naturally gifted at anything.
I always had to work at it.
The only way I knew how to succeed was to try harder than anyone else.
Dogged persistence is what got me through life.
But here was something I was half-decent at.
Being able to run great distances was the one thing I could offer the world.
Others might be faster, but I could go longer.
I'm Dean Carnassus, ultra-marathon man.
I've run 50 marathons in 50 days.
I've run three days non-stop without any sleep.
I never take shortcuts.
What I do equates to hard, manual labor, disciplined, grunt work.
Einstein wrote,
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity for growth.
Just as a problem-free life never makes a strong and good person,
smooth roads never make a good runner,
an overcoming adversity, life becomes bigger, bolder, filled with greater potential.
The human body was made to move and is capable of amazing physical deeds.
If we could just free ourselves from our perceived limitations
and tap into our internal fire, the possibilities are endless.
Modern rationale equates comfort and convenience,
the total absence of pain and struggle.
With happiness, we go from our air-conditioned cars
to the elevators of our climate-controlled buildings
to our comfortable office chairs.
We've grown so comfortable, we're miserable.
Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living.
If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone,
if you're not demanding more from yourself,
expanding and learning as you go,
you're choosing a numb existence,
denying yourself an extraordinary trip.
Running has taught me that the pursuit of a passion
matters more than the passion itself.
Immerse yourself in something deeply and with heartfelt intensity.
Continually improve, never give up.
This is fulfillment, this is success.
I run to breathe the fresh air.
I run to explore.
I run to escape the ordinary.
I run because life becomes a little more vibrant,
a little more intense.
I run to honor my sister and unite my family.
I run for the finish line and to savor the trip along the way.
I run because long after my footprints have faded away,
maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path,
hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other,
and come to the same conclusion I did.
I run because it always takes me where I want to go.
Thank you for watching.
